Alexandria Preschool Open Houses

Agudas Achim: 2908 Valley Drive 

Tuesday, January 8 from 7:00-8:30 PM  (Room 1/2 in education wing)

Wednesday, January 9 from 10:00-11:30 AM (Flax Chapel)

Beverley Hills Cooperative Preschool: 3512 Old Dominion Blvd. 
Fri, Jan 11, 2013, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Blessed Sacrament Preschool: 1417 Braddock Rd. 


Browne Academy: 5917 Telegraph Rd. 
January 13, 1 p.m.


Del Ray Montessori: 100 E. Windsor 
Saturday, January 12, 2013, 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.

Emmanuel Preschool: 1608 Russel Road
Sunday January 6, 2013, beginning at 1:30 PM

Fairlington Preschool: 3900 King St. 
January 25

First Baptist: 2932 King St. 


Grace Episcopal: 3601 Russel Rd. 
January 16, 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Immanuel Lutheran: 109 Belleaire Rd. and Russel Rd. 
January 10,      9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m


JCCNV Beth El Preschool: 3830 Seminary Rd. 


Meeting House: 318 S. Royal St. 
February 13, 2013, from 9:15-11:00 a.m.

Montessori School of Alexandria:  6300 Florence Lane


Old Town Montessori: 115 S. Washington St. 

Resurrection Children's Center: 2280 N. Beauregard St. 
January 11

St. Clement: 1701 N. Quaker Lane
Jan. 20, from 9:30 to 11:45 am.

St. Pauls: 228 S. Pitt St.


St. Rita's: 3801 Russell Rd. 


Trinity MOPS: 


Valley Drive Cooperative: 700 Commonwealth Ave. 
Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 9:30 a.m - 11 a.m..

Washington St.:  115 S. Washington St. 
Friday, January 18, 2013, from 10:00 a.m.-12:00

Westminster: 2701 Cameron Mills Rd. 
January 15 and 17, 9:30 am - 11:30 am

Registration for Planetarium

REGISTRATION OPENS MONDAY FOR JANUARY PLANETARIUM SHOW

The week of Jan. 27 marks a dark period in manned space exploration. Although decades apart, the losses of the Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia crews serve as a reminder of just how dangerous manned exploration can be. In January's monthly community planetarium show at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 29, Planetarium Director Bob Nicholson will take a look at disasters and near disasters in manned space exploration. (Due to the nature of the show's content, parents with young children are advised not to register for this show.) The program will end with a walk across the late January sky. The show will take place at T.C. Williams High School, 3330 King St., Alexandria. Registration will open at noon on Monday, Jan. 7. Enrollment is limited to the first 35 people who register online or by calling the planetarium at 703-824-6805, extension 6300. To allow more people access to the planetarium shows, please note that we cannot honor bulk requests for tickets. Please order only the number of tickets you need for your family. For additional information, please email or call Bob Nicholson at 703-824-6805, extension 6300.

City of Alexandria Purchases Polk Avenue Property for Use as Open Space

On December 11, 2012 City Council authorized City Manager Rashad M. Young to contract for the acquisition of the property at 5325 Polk Ave. for $1.9 million. The City’s purchase of this 2.34 acre property used the $1.5 million provided by the Department of Defense to mitigate loss of open space in the West End, as well as $0.4 million in City Open Space funds. The Beauregard Rezoning Advisory Group recommended the acquisition of this site in October 2012 after reviewing 8 sites in the City’s west End which had been nominated by City residents.

Acquisition of this property was contingent on the December 4, 2012 approval by Alexandria’s Planning Commission, who reviewed the proposed purchase at their regular meeting. Following the purchase of the property, staff will initiate a public process this winter to consider the future use for the new park. This public process will include community outreach to provide input on any future improvements to the site.

For additional information, contact Laura Durham, Open Space Coordinator, with the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities at laura.durham@alexandriava.govor 703.746.5493.

11th Annual Used Book Sale Beth El Hebrew Congregation

11^th Annual Used Book Sale

Beth El Hebrew Congregation

3830 Seminary Road, Alexandria VA           

Sunday, January 13^th, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Monday, January 14^th, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  

Gigantic Selection – All Subjects - Sorted by Category  

9:00 a.m. to closing FREE admission each day.

Free Parking  - Book Dealers Welcome

$10/person early entry admission 8:30 a.m. t o 9:00 a.m.

Questions contact: book sale at lennieg@cox.net

ABCD's of Medicare Workshop

If you live in the City of Alexandria or Arlington County and you are newly eligible for Medicare, or about to be, or are a caregiver of a Medicare beneficiary, come to one of the free presentations on the basics of Medicare coverage and choices. Cedar Dvorin and John Glowacky from the Virginia Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program (VICAP) lead the sessions. Space is limited and pre-registration is required. For more information, call 703.228.1700.

The information sessions will be held at the Arlington Human Services Center, 2100 Washington Blvd., in Meeting Room A on the lower level Thursday, January 17, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Thursday February 7, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., and Tuesday, February 19, 10 a.m. to noon.

Free parking is available in Arlington County Customer spaces in the garage across the street, or on the street.

Alexandria Police Roaming DWI Enforcement Results

ALEXANDRIA POLICE DEPARTMENT
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
3600 WHEELER AVENUE
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA 22304
703-746-6600

NEWS RELEASE
JANUARY 2, 2013 #13-001
2:30 P.M. HILDEBRANDT

 Alexandria Police Roaming DWI Enforcement Results

Alexandria police conducted a roaming DWI enforcement effort to deter and apprehend intoxicated drivers from 8:00 P.M. on Saturday, December 29, to 6:00 A.M. on Sunday, December 30.  Vehicles observed committing traffic infractions were stopped and drivers were checked to assure that their abilities to drive had not been impaired by alcohol or drugs.

During the roaming enforcement effort, 45 vehicles were stopped and two arrests were made for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI).  Two arrests were made for possession of marijuana. One arrest was made for an open container of alcohol. In addition, 50 summonses were issued for miscellaneous traffic offenses.

Six Alexandria police officers and one Emergency Communications Technician participated in the mobile enforcement effort.

For further details, please call the Public Information Office at 703.746.6600.

Recycling Announcements from the City

Solid Waste & Recycling Announcements

·   Holiday Tree Recycling

·   Household Batteries – Safe Disposal

·   Identify Your Recycling Cart

·   Recycling an Aluminum Can Conserves Electricity

More Information:
• Department of Transportation & Environmental Services (T&ES), Solid Waste Division 
• Eco-City Alexandria Initiative

Holiday Tree Recycling (January 7-18)

Holiday trees can be recycled at the front curb by residents who receive refuse collection services from the City.  Trees set curbside on one’s regular collection day from January 7 through January 18 will be collected and ground into pine mulch.  Please remove any stands, lights, and decorations from trees.  For more information:Alexandriava.gov/Solidwaste .

Household Batteries – Safe Disposal is Important

Many holiday gifts contain batteries, and safe disposal of batteries is important since some contain harmful heavy metals.  When purchasing batteries, consider rechargeable batteries to reduce waste.  And for disposal, please bring the batteries to the Household Hazardous Waste Center.  Standard alkaline batteries can be discarded as regular trash, but if you are unsure of a batteries type, please bring it to the HHW Center.  For more information: Alexandriava.gov/Solidwaste

Identify Your Recycling Cart

Because we live close together in the City and our recycling carts are all blue, many residents mistakenly take their neighbors recycling cart.  Frequently, City staff responds to calls about lost carts only to find that the cart is at the neighbors.  Please write your house number on the lid of your cart in indelible magic marker which makes it easier for your neighbor to catch his mistake and return your cart.

Recycling an Aluminum Can Conserves Electricity

By recycling an aluminum can in your recycling cart, you are saving enough electricity to power a television for two hours.  If every American would recycle an aluminum can, we could all watch the Super Bowl for free and an additional can would pay for the commercials. For more information about recycling: Alexandriava.gov/Recycling

Youth Events in January

John Adams Community Meeting on Traffic Safety Proposal (January 8)A community meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. to discuss a proposal for restricting traffic to right turns only onto Rayburn Avenue during peak traffic times. The meeting will be held in the John Adams Elementary Media Center (5651 Rayburn Avenue). For more information, contact Laurel Hamming, ACPS Educational Facilities: Planning, Design and Construction Office, at 703.461.4168.

Princess Wonderland (January 26)The T.C. Williams High School Fashion Marketing students will present Princess Wonderland from 3-6 p.m. in the cafeteria at the main campus (3330 King Street). Girls ages 3 through 10 are invited to dress as their favorite princesses for the event, which will feature games, food, arts and crafts, and photos with a princess. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 the day of the program. A portion of proceeds will go toward the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria; the remaining proceeds will support the Fashion Marketing Club’s projects. For more information, contact Teresa Chavis.

Author Talks at Beatley Central Library

The public is invited to attend the following Beatley Central Library Author Talk Series at 5005 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22304: 

Author Talk With William Burton McCormick, January 30, 2013 at 7:00pm Author of the recently released book, Lenin’s Harem, McCormick will discuss his experiences researching and writing his historical fiction thriller set in Latvia during the time of the Russian Revolution. Lenin’s Harem is the story of the Latvian Riflemen. “Born to an aristocratic life of wealth and privilege, but driven from the family home by resentful Latvian peasants, a young German struggles to survive and protect his love from the brutalities of a domineering brother, class struggle, war, and communist rule. The attention to historical detail and depth of introspection are worthy of Pasternak or Solzhenitsyn. Enthralling, reads as true as my grandfather’s letters.”--Daniel Wagner, former Dean of the CIA’s Sherman Kent School for Intelligence Analysis 

Author Talk With Tom Young, February 20, 2013 at 7:00pm “Author of the new bookThe Renegades, Young brings Lt. Col. Michael Parson back to the heart of Afghanistan for more action in his suspense-filled military thriller. His precise, evocative prose brings a far-off war into sharp-edge focus while honoring the heroic servicemen and women who fight against extraordinary odds.” --Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Real-life experience translated into page-turning fiction.” --Kirkus Reviews “A brutal, true-to-life novel about war in Afghanistan.” --National Public Radio “Young plunges the reader right into the thick of the Afghan conflict.” --Examiner.com An “extremely well-written” novel that “revolves around two people who are trying hard to do the right thing under incredibly brutal conditions.” --Library Journal 

Author Talk With Bob O’Connor, February 27, 2013 at 7:00pm   O’Connor gives an account of the lives of the 103 black soldiers at the prison in his book US. Colored Troops at Andersonville Prison. In honor of Black History Month, we are pleased to host the author and historian.

365 - a year in pictures

My project 365 is over as of today and it was a GREAT project!  It was hard some days to post something, other days there were lots of things to capture and picking just one was difficult.

I learned a lot about my days- what I do and what my family does.  Sometimes the littlest thing becomes interesting or the most boring of activities brought the most joy.  I also gained an appreciation for the things around me, I opened my eyes and looked around a bit more than before.

I'd like to keep this project going, but I think I will amend it for 2013.  I'll just post pictures every once in awhile, when I feel there is something to share or something special catches my eye.

Happy New Year and Welcome 2013.

365 - Dog

my kids managed to avoid the stomach bug but not the dog.....

(rice, pumpkin and dog food) hopes it helps!
Happy New Year!

Walking Trail Construction Scheduled at Founders Park

The Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities will install a new pathway surface on a portion of the walking trail at Founders Park, 351 N. Union St. Approximately 180 feet of existing stone dust pathway will be resurfaced with a permeable pavement system.

The pavement system is manufactured from gravel and recycled tires, providing a firm, stable water permeable surface that is handicap accessible and less prone to erosion and washout. The work is weather dependent and is scheduled to occur between January 7 and January 25. Work areas will be closed to the public, and Founders Park will remain open.

For additional information, contact Jack Browand, Division Chief, at 703.746.5504 orjack.browand@alexandriava.gov.

365 - yum